Mewing (orthotropics)
Many orthodontists believe that mewing lacks evidence as a viable alternative treatment to orthognathic surgery. Mike Mew was expelled from the British Orthodontic Society, and faces a misconduct hearing for posing harm to child patients who underwent his treatments. While Mike Mew has disparaged traditional orthodontics, his orthotropic treatments for young children cost £12,500 for 36 months, and involve the wearing of headgear, neckgear, and expansion appliances in the mouth.
According to maxillofacial surgeon Paul Coceancig, "Mewing and chewing offer no structural change to the jaw, or other health benefits", adding: "Will chewing a bone help your dog grow a bigger jaw?". Since 2019, mewing has received widespread media coverage due to its virality on social media, especially in incel and looksmaxxing subcultures. Data from Google Trends indicates an increase in global interest and popularity for "Mewing" starting from January 2019. According to a 2024 article in The Independent, some school teachers say that students gesture to their jawline to indicate that they are mewing and do not wish to answer questions.
References
- ^ Lee, Urie K.; Graves, Lindsay L.; Friedlander, Arthur H. (1 September 2019). "Mewing: Social Media's Alternative to Orthognathic Surgery?". Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 77 (9): 1743–1744. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2019.03.024. ISSN 0278-2391. PMID 31005620.
- ^ Brennan, William (28 December 2020). "How Two British Orthodontists Became Celebrities to Incels". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Yasharoff, Hannah. "People on TikTok are 'mewing.' Experts weigh in on this controversial beauty hack". USA Today. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Millhone, Carley (7 February 2023). "Should You Try Mewing? Here's What the Research Says". Health.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Rekawek, Peter; Wu, Brendan; Hanna, Todd (2021). "Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Procedures, Social Media, and Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery: Use of Trends for the Modern Practice". Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 79 (4): 739–740. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2020.10.038. ISSN 0278-2391. PMID 33259784.
- ^ Media, P. A. (14 November 2022). "Orthodontist advised treatment with risk of harm to children, tribunal told". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Rufo, Yasmin (5 April 2023). "Mike Mew: Dental treatment boy had 'seizure-like episodes'". Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Jaw surgeon debunks 'mewing' beauty trend". Canberra Daily. Newstime Media. 25 February 2023. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ McClinton, Dream (21 March 2019). "Mewing: what is the YouTube craze that claims to reshape your face?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "What is the 'mewing' trend? Why teachers are hitting back at classroom craze". The Independent. 19 March 2024. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.